{"id":1319534,"date":"2020-04-20T02:20:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T08:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1819843"},"modified":"2020-04-20T02:20:50","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T08:20:50","slug":"willie-nelson-eight-decades-of-incredible-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/willie-nelson-eight-decades-of-incredible-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Willie Nelson: Eight Decades of Incredible Music"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:ao:image:cmt.com:691507?width=1200&amp;height=675&amp;.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"byline\"> by <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/morrise\/\" title=\"Posts by Edward Morris\" rel=\"author\">Edward Morris<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"date\"><br \/>\n23m ago<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span> <\/p>\n<p>Willie Nelson grew to greatness while country music was also maturing as a distinct art form. He was born in 1933, a month before Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music died, and the same year Bob Wills formed the Texas Playboys. Nelson\u2019s arrival into the world came a decade before the Carter Family disbanded and Ernest Tubb joined the Grand Ole Opry.<\/p>\n<p>Born in Abbott, Texas and raised by his paternal grandparents, Nelson was learning the guitar and writing songs before he reached his teens. He would go on to become one of the most recorded and recognizable figures in the history of American music, regardless of genre. Along the way he would record 70 studio albums, 33 live albums, 25 albums with other artists, and soundtracks for movies he appeared or starred in. The number of singles he\u2019s done for and with other artists are beyond counting.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/T4VuyEVNEeM?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/T4VuyEVNEeM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<p>Between 1962, when he charted his first single, and 2000, by which time his chart appearances as a singles artist had become rare, Nelson charted 117 songs.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick look at the Old Master\u2019s contributions, honors and impacts during eight decades.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The 1950s<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nelson plays in local bands, books artists, promotes shows, and works as a DJ at stations in Texas and Vancouver, Washington. In 1957, he releases \u201cNo Place for Me,\u201d his first self-written, self-recorded and self-promoted single. It\u2019s issued under the Willie Nelson Records label.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M6Y_963oGT8?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M6Y_963oGT8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>The 1960s<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 1960, Nelson moves to Nashville and signs his first publishing deal. He begins getting major cuts from prominent country artists. Faron Young has a No. 1 in 1961 with \u201cHello Walls.\u201d Billy Walker takes \u201cFunny How Time Slips Away\u201d to No. 23 the same year. Patsy Cline rings up a No. 2 with \u201cCrazy,\u201d also in 1961.<\/p>\n<p>Nelson signs with Liberty Records in 1962 and proceeds to have a Top 10 that year with \u201cWillingly,\u201d a song recorded with his future wife, Shirley Collie. He does even better with his next single, \u201cTouch Me,\u201d his own composition, which rises to No. 7. That will be his biggest chart success as a recording act for the rest of the decade. But he has accumulated enough stature to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1964.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DXWCaQPXE_0?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DXWCaQPXE_0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>The 1970s<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is the decade that Nelson develops into full bloom. Chastened by his lack of success as a recording artist in Nashville, Nelson moves back to Texas, where he gradually evolves from the clean-cut, turtle-neck wearing dandy into the hippie persona he will inhabit for the rest of his life. <\/p>\n<p>He stages the first of his cross-cultural music festivals July 4, 1973, in Dripping Springs, Texas. In 1975, he releases his bare bones concept album, <em>Red Headed Stranger<\/em> (which producer Billy Sherrill described as sounding like \u201ca bad demo\u201d). It becomes a big hit and yields Nelson \u2014 by now 44 years old \u2014 his first No. 1 single, \u201cBlue Eyes Crying in the Rain.\u201d The landmark song also nets him his first Grammy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2_I6gG2e4_A?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2_I6gG2e4_A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<p>The next year, RCA, Nelson\u2019s former label, assembles an album of formerly unreleased tracks by Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jennings\u2019 wife Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser of the Glaser Brothers. It\u2019s titled <em>Wanted! The Outlaws<\/em> and launches the \u201coutlaw\u201d movement. <\/p>\n<p>With future classics like \u201cGood Hearted Woman,\u201d it not only romanticizes Waylon &amp; Willie, but inspires other artists to exert more control over the music they record, including writing or choosing the songs and, often, recording with their own bands rather than with studio musicians. The project becomes country\u2019s first platinum album.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xI-KOqRKlcs?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xI-KOqRKlcs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<p>Nelson turns out six more No. 1s during the 1970s, two of them with Jennings. In 1978, with his recording success to give him leverage, Nelson records an entire album of pop songs he\u2019d loved in his youth \u2014 <em>Stardust<\/em>. It, too, becomes a bestseller and stays on the country chart for 10 years! <\/p>\n<p>Nelson becomes something of a movie star in 1979 via his supporting role in the Robert Redford-Jane Fonda film, <em>The Electric Horseman<\/em>. By the end of the decade, he has a total of three Grammys on his shelf, all for his vocal performances.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eoz4l8Y5qck?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eoz4l8Y5qck?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>The 1980s<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This might be described as the \u201cWillie &amp; Me\u201d decade because it\u2019s bursting with duet efforts. During it, he records albums with Ray Price, Roger Miller, Webb Pierce, Waylon Jennings (2), Merle Haggard (2), Kris Kristofferson, Faron Young and Hank Snow. <\/p>\n<p>Then there are his collaborative No. 1 hits: \u201cJust to Satisfy You\u201d (with Jennings), \u201cPancho and Lefty\u201d (Haggard), \u201cTo All the Girls I\u2019ve Loved Before\u201d (Julio Iglesias), \u201cSeven Spanish Angels\u201d (Ray Charles), \u201cHighwayman\u201d (Jennings, Kristofferson, Johnny Cash) and \u201cMind Your Own Business\u201d (Hank Williams Jr., Reba McEntire, Tom Petty, Reverend Ike). <\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UoKvUYbGu7A?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UoKvUYbGu7A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<p>May of his own solo hits during this era are now considered classics: \u201cMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,\u201d \u201cOn the Road Again,\u201d \u201cAngel Flying Too Close to the Ground,\u201d and \u201cAlways on My Mind,\u201d to name a few.<\/p>\n<p>Concerned about the number of American family farms going into bankruptcy, Nelson co-founds Farm Aid in 1985. Except for two years, it has been held annually ever since, always with Nelson co-headlining it. Nelson also acts in several movies during the 1980s, notably <em>Honeysuckle Rose<\/em> (1980), <em>Barbarossa<\/em> (1982), <em>The Songwriter<\/em> (1984) and <em>Red Headed Stranger<\/em> (1987). He adds three more Grammys to his collection, including the President\u2019s Merit Award in 1986.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x8A9Y1Dq_cQ?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x8A9Y1Dq_cQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>The 1990s<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Talk about emotional extremes! Discovering that his accountants have failed to pay his taxes, Nelson begins the \u201990s deep in debt and stripped of most of his assets. With typical resourcefulness, he sits down with just his guitar and records the ironically titled 1991 album <em>The IRS Tapes: Who\u2019ll Buy My Memories?<\/em> It doesn\u2019t settle his debt, but it helps, and it nets him tons of useful publicity. <\/p>\n<p>Then, only two years later, he\u2019s inducted the Country Music Hall of Fame. Among the 14 studio albums he turns out during this decade are two with his piano-playing sister, Bobbie Nelson: the gospel collection <em>How Great Thou Art<\/em> and <em>Hill Country Christmas<\/em>. <\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kmdwsLtNx2E?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kmdwsLtNx2E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<p>His choice of material ranges from Paul Simon\u2019s \u201cGraceland\u201d on 1992\u2019s <em>Across the Borderline<\/em> to his own self-written, self-produced tracks on 1996\u2019s <em>Spirit<\/em>. In 1999, he turns to producer Daniel Lanois to create the more musically adventurous collection, <em>Teatro<\/em>, with Emmylou Harris guesting. It features several of Nelson\u2019s earlier but less known compositions.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>The 2000s<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nelson begins the new century receiving a lifetime achievement Grammy, then collects another Grammy for \u201cMendocino County Line,\u201d a duet with Lee Ann Womack. In 2003, he and Ray Price release the album <em>Run That By Me One More Time<\/em>. The same year, he joins admirer Toby Keith for the single \u201cBeer For My Horses,\u201d which promptly gallops into No. 1. <\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/o1JOFhfoAD4?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/o1JOFhfoAD4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<p>SiriusXM rebrands its classic country station in 2006 from Hank\u2019s Place to Willie\u2019s Place (and, in 2011, Willie\u2019s Roadhouse). Nelson, Price and Merle Haggard return to the studio to record the poignant 2007 collection <em>Last of the Breed<\/em>, with its pensive track \u201cLost Highway\u201d winning a Grammy.<\/p>\n<p>In 2009, Nelson tips his hat to fellow Texan and Hall of Fame songwriter with the tribute album <em>You Don\u2019t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker<\/em>. In a more lively turn, he teams up in 2009 with the western swing band Asleep at the Wheel to pump out <em>Willie and the Wheel<\/em>. As he periodically does, he returns to the Great American Songbook for his final album of the decade, <em>American Classics<\/em>. It features guest appearances by Norah Jones and Diana Krall.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KbZczVmQCfk?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KbZczVmQCfk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>The 2010s<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nelson continues to try his hand with new producers and new backup musicians in 2010 when he pairs with T. Bone Burnett for the album <em>Country Music<\/em>. (Burnett had worked his career-revivalist wonders earlier in the decade with Ralph Stanley.) The album digs deep in the traditional country repertoire to spotlight such great perennials as \u201cDark as a Dungeon,\u201d \u201cFreight Train Boogie,\u201d \u201cHouse of Gold\u201d and \u201cI Am a Pilgrim.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nelson reunites with Merle Haggard in 2015 for <em>Django &amp; Jimmie<\/em>, a loving tribute to Nelson\u2019s idol, the gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and Haggard\u2019s chief inspiration, Jimmie Rodgers. Haggard dies the following year. Two albums earn Nelson best traditional pop vocal Grammys: <em>Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin<\/em> (2016) and <em>My Way<\/em> (2018), his hat-doffing to the songs of Frank Sinatra.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yV1meDoQz18?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yV1meDoQz18?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>The 2020s<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, Nelson won his 10th career Grammy Award for the title track of his 2019 album, <em>Ride Me Back Home<\/em>, in the category of best country solo performance. He promises his 70th studio album for July 2020, <em>First Rose of Spring<\/em>. It rings out with such eternals as \u201cI\u2019ll Break Out Again Tonight,\u201d \u201cJust Bummin\u2019 Around,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m the Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised\u201d and \u201cYesterday When I Was Young.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Willie Nelson IS American music \u2014 and he\u2019s got the records to prove it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3ticn0QrQwc?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3ticn0QrQwc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author\">\n<div class=\"description\"> Edward Morris is a veteran of country music journalism. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a frequent contributor to CMT.com. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1819843\/willie-nelson-eight-decades-of-incredible-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Edward Morris 23m ago Willie Nelson grew to greatness while country music was also maturing as a distinct art form. He was born in 1933, a month before Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music died, and the same year Bob Wills formed the Texas Playboys. Nelson\u2019s arrival into the world came a decade [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1319534","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-15 21:18:41","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1319534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319534\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1319534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1319534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1319534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}